W R I T I N G W O R
L D
A World of Writing Information - For Writers Around the World
http://www.writing-world.com
Issue 9:09 7,909 subscribers May 7, 2009
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IN THIS
ISSUE:
=======================================================
THE
EDITOR'S DESK, by Moira Allen THE INQUIRING WRITER - Writing as Therapy, by
Dawn Copeman NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF WRITING FEATURE: Music to Write by, by
Indra Sena THE WRITE SITES -- Online Resources for Writers The Author's
Bookshelf
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FROM THE NEWSLETTER EDITOR'S DESK
======================================================
Our Reach and
Our Grasp
-------------------
When I sat down to compose this
editorial, all sorts of thoughts were buzzing through my head. Most of them
revolved around the conceptof "change" -- change of seasons, writers as change
agents, etc. etc. But what finally made the fingers fly was the concept of how
WE, aswriters, change. Our skills change (and, hopefully, evolve rather than
deteriorate). Our interests change; our goals change; our priorities change.
Change is inevitable, and generally it is a good thing. What can be a
bad thing for a writer is to fail to recognize change (and in particular,
growth). It's all too easy to get "stuck" in our perceptions of ourselves that
were formed years ago -- and to carry with us a burden of perceived failure or
inability that may no longer be accurate.
For example, many years ago,
I undertook to write a novel. It had potential, but even I could see that no
publisher would take a second look. It went (literally) into the back of the
closet -- while we did have "floppy disks" in those days, no sensible person
RELIED upon "electronic archives" instead of paper. At that time, while I was
"reaching" for a novel, it was beyond my grasp.
Today, I know that I
am a far better writer than I was 20 years ago (yep, it was 20 years ago).
While I don't know whether I will be able to write a publishable novel even
today, I know that quite a bit more lies within my grasp than when I first sat
down in front of a Mac that didn't even possess a color monitor. What I was
reaching for 20 years ago, I may be able to grasp today.
But what
about what I am reaching for today? Today, my reach may still exceed my grasp;
I may be reaching for dreams that will still elude me for now. But they may be
within my grasp in another five years, or ten, or twenty. And hopefully, twenty
years from now, I'll still be reaching a bit farther, and a bit farther
still....
The worst thing that can happen to us as writers is to come
to believe that because our reach exceeds our grasp AT THIS TIME, it will do so
FOR ALL TIME. I have known too many writers who assumed that because they
weren't capable of writing a "publishable" novel or a "prize-winning" poem or a
"marketable" article TODAY, they will NEVER be able to do so. "I guess I'm just
not cut out to be a novelist/poet/freelance writer," they say. Too many writers
internalize the lesson that "I can't today" means "I can't ever." Eventually,
it becomes too easy to simply limit our reach to the things we already KNOW we
can grasp.
In reality, what you can't do today has very little to do
with what you WILL be able to do tomorrow. The key, of course, is growth and
change.
So as spring brings change and renewal all around us (and not
a bit too soon), take a look at some of the goals that you once reached for but
were unable to grasp. Have you put those goals aside, on the shelf or in the
back of the closet, on the assumption that if they were beyond your grasp then,
they will ALWAYS be beyond your grasp? Might this be a good year to try
reaching for them once again? And if that goal still proves elusive, put it
aside a bit longer -- but don't assume that you must shelve it forever.
Similarly, if there are goals that you're reaching for today but find yourself
unable to grasp, don't assume that THIS will be a "permanent condition." As
long as you are growing and evolving as a writer - as long as you are genuinely
striving to improve your abilities -- you will always discover that more and
more things lie within your grasp.
-- Moira Allen, Editor
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THE INQUIRING WRITER, Writing as Therapy, by Dawn Copeman
============================================================
Last
month I wanted to know if any of you had also suffered from a Life Block,
something that knocked you off kilter and if so, if you had found writing was a
way to get through this block. I had so many responses to this. It seems that
as writers we do, indeed, have access to a free therapy to help us cope with
life's little and no so little hurdles. So I decided to share all the responses
with you.
Perle Champion wrote: "I've often said that my journal, that
$2, 5x8 notebook I carry everywhere, is the reason I am sane without a
therapist. It is my therapist. Through a suicidal child, a husband with cancer,
9/11, good days and bad, I just put it on the page - stream of consciousness -
it's not perfect, but cathartic. It always gets me to the other side of
whatever of whatever emotional storm I'm experiencing."
Jim Lamana Jnr
had the following observations to make on writing as therapy. He wrote: "A very
worthwhile observation---the therapeutic value of writing about your grief.
It's interesting to me...because long ago, as a boy, I became a member of the
American Amateur Press Association, a hobby group of writers, journalists,
printers, etc. "I grew up with that organization. After WW2, I became a
newspaper reporter, a broadcast newsman. During the war, I continued my
activity in the AAPA, publishing small journals from overseas. During my
professional journalism career, I also continued to write via the amateur press
groups. "My point is this---in all those years, even while a professional
journalist, I never lost interest and remained active in amateur journalism.
"Recently, thanks to articles like yours relative to writing as therapy, it
became clear to me that what I was doing during WW2, my journalism years, and,
now, my retirement years----is practicing a journalism that really was helping
me psychologically when I wrote of my life trials, shared my views and problems
with other members. "Your story reinforces my appreciation for writing my way
through difficulties...Thanks."
Randall Platt has the following
opinion on life block. He wrote: "I just got back from being the Writer In
Residence at a retreat on the Oregon Coast. In talking to those folks, I shared
my story when 'real life' interfered with my writing life. I finally figured
out there is a time to chronicle life with our words and there is a time when
we must observe life. Observation of things affecting our real world isn't
writer's block - it is a time to absorb."
Toni Star has also undergone
a life block, Toni wrote: "I have, too, gone through a 'life block' during
times of extreme stress and uncertainty and it affected my writing in good and
bad ways. In a bad way, it stifled my writing for awhile and the depression
from it, put a dent in my writing that lasted longer than anticipated. However,
in a positive way, it helped me to refocus on subjects that got my writing
going even better by bringing to mind topics that I hadn't explored such as
health issues, religious topics, behavior ideas, death and life concerns, etc.
Thank you for a very interesting topic!"
Pam has definitely found that
writing can be a useful therapy. She wrote: "I find its a lot easier to write
for therapy, than to really commute with a person. Like writing in a diary. I
say what I feel like writing a book. There are only certain times I can talk of
my past and the trauma I've had to endure, without breaking down. I can at
least get it off my heart awhile by writing. Sometimes I'll receive an email
baring the same burden, and that helps too. There is someone out there that has
been right where I have been. And I have been where some are going."
Another person who uses writing as therapy is Glanda Widger. She wrote:
"Indeed I do use writing as therapy Dawn. I have written since elementary
school. Stories where I was the hero and vanquished the bullies. Later, angry
letters to husbands and letters to myself, pouring out the pain, hurt, anger or
depression I felt. Stories that showed what my life would be like someday.
Stories of how I vanquished the emotional enemy. I never kept any of the
writings. I just allowed my feelings to drain onto the paper and somehow I felt
better and more in control afterward. I even write to government officials
about injustices. Nothing was ever mailed or shown to anyone and everything was
destroyed within a short time. Now that I am older I find my outlet in humor.
Even the most aggravating, fury inspiring incident can be used as fodder for my
humor. It makes me feel good and I have become better at my craft since
deciding to submit stories for publication. It feels good to see my horrid
neighbor in print even if he has changed age, occupation and sometimes gender.
I know the basis of truth and can see him clearly even if everyone else only
sees a funny caricature."
Marie Tool emailed to say: "How else can you
cope with a devastating divorce, cancer, death and on a better note, happiness?
"I find all my writings; poetry, essays, short stories and articles are about
the sequences and tough times I've overcome in my lifetime.
"My safety
net is the pen. I can let it just all hang out and rid myself of all the
anguish that it brings.
"It clears my path to view tomorrow in a
better light."
Finally, Katherine Harms wrote to share with us the
effect writing for therapy has had on her. She wrote: "You asked if anyone has
used writing as therapy. Writing is my therapy and my education.
"I
had a troubled relationship with my mother. Our relationship did not heal
before she died, and that issue was a constant nagging voice in the back of my
mind. How can a daughter who wishes her mother would simply say, "I'm glad that
you are my kid," get past the fact that she never, ever measured up? How can
all the arguments, ranging from simple disagreements to massive blowups, ever
be soothed into silence after the death of one party? And how does the daughter
remember her mother with honor and respect when there is no way to fix the
problems?
"There came a time when I finally took this problem
seriously enough to make up my mind that I would figure it out. I am a
Christian, and I was sure that my faith ought to lead me to understanding and
maturity. I just hadn't given it a chance. I felt so completely justified in my
sense of the injustice of it all that I never quite got around to noticing that
I was also imperfect.
"My decision came as a consequence of a most
unusual Ash Wednesday sermon. The gist of the sermon was that we all need to
burn up the things that separate us from God and each other. When all the
barriers and misunderstandings are reduced to ash, then we can start learning
to love each other. I finally faced up to my need to forgive my mother. I had
no idea at the time that it would lead to the moment that I realized all the
things my mother would have needed to forgive me for.
"I made up my
mind to spend some time three evenings a week alone, in prayer. I was not such
a mystic, and still am not, that I could simply assume a position and fall into
a trance or into prayer. I knew that I needed some way to stay focused. I
decided to write my prayer and let the words fall where they would. For a
while, my writing was erratic and disconnected. As I kept up this practice, I
learned something that amazed me then and amazes me now.
"Each evening
I began by writing down what made me crazy, and I started asking forgiveness,
but as I wrote, I began to see and understand my own attitude in a new way.
Then I decided that I would put my prayers in the form of unrhymed poetry. I
didn't want to waste time working on rhythm and rhyme. To this day, I am still
amazed when I start writing about a problem and then discover myself writing
from a different point of view or with some new insight that I could not
possibly sort out by simple meditation. I need a pen in my hand when I start to
think. That isn't literally true, because sometimes a computer keyboard serves
the same purpose. However, at the beginning, it was always pen and paper.
"I prayed, I cried, I read and reread what I had written, and one day I
came to grips with a new truth: under all the debris of a broken relationship,
I truly loved and respected my mother and felt the beginnings of a willingness
to accommodate her faults just as I wished that she could have accommodated
mine. It took six or eight weeks to get there. It was only the beginning, but
it was an experience that taught me two important truths: 1) faith in God is
the word we use for a relationship with God, and in that relationship lies the
insight and encouragement and strength to actually live the teachings, not
perfectly, but in baby steps; and 2) I need a pen in hand if I am going to work
through this sort of discovery. I pray every day, now, and most days I pray
first on paper.
"I could say a lot more on this subject, but this is
how I got started using writing as therapy, and for that matter, it was the
beginning of my writing career. One day my career may actually pay money, but
that remuneration will never match the value of its payback in maturity and
personal fulfillment."
Thank you, again, to everyone who shared their
experiences of writing as therapy.
Now for this month's question.
Spring has sprung and we are all tempted to be outside more. My question is
this: do you ever 'write' outdoors? By this I mean do you manage to combine
being outside with creating your articles and stories. Agatha Christie once
said that "the best time for planning a book is while you're doing the dishes"
but could it also be whilst doing the gardening or walking the dog? Can you, or
do you, come up with articles, stories or plot development when you're out and
about? Does going for a walk help with poetry? How do you record your thoughts?
What works best for you? Email me with your responses, subject line "Inquiring
Writer" to
editorial@writing-world.com.
Copyright (c) 2009 Dawn Copeman
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WRITE
MORE, WRITE BETTER by mastering the psychology of writing as well as the craft.
Jurgen Wolff's book, "Your Writing Coach" (Nicholas Brealey Publishing) takes
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NEWS FROM THE WORLD OF WRITING
=======================================================
Helium Content
Writers Get Professional Recognition
------------------------------------------
Content writers on Helium
are to be allowed entry into the Society of Professional Journalists. The SPJ,
one of the oldest organizations for journalists in the US is offering
membership to what the site considers are its best 6000 writers and as part of
the deal with Helium other members of SPJ will be encouraged to write content
for the site. For more on this topic visit:
http://www.journalism.co.uk/2/articles/534199.php
UK Journalists Against Privacy Law
-------------------------------------------
The UK House of Common's
Select Committee on Press Standards, Privacy and Libel has been hearing
evidence over the past few weeks from representatives of the press against the
introduction of a privacy law in the UK. One editor, Paul Dacre of the Daily
Mail, said that such a law would have a "chilling effect on press freedom". For
more on this story visit:
http://www.journalism.co.uk/2/articles/534154.php
Book on trial in Turkey for humiliating religion
---------------------------------------
Nedim Gürsel, a Turkish
Author living in France, is being taken to court on Monday in Turkey, or rather
his book, "Daughters of Allah" is being taken to court for humiliating
religion. The penalty for this crime is six months to one year in prison. As Mr
Gürsel lives abroad, his publishers, who are based in Turkey, are being
taken to court instead. This is the latest in a series of court cases against
authors and writers in Turkey, last year they tried to prosecute the Turkish
publishers of Richard Dawkin's work "The God Delusion." Turkey has a multitude
of laws curtailing free speech which cover issues ranging from commentary on
human rights abuses by the army, corruption, the killings of Armenians in 1915,
Kurdish issues, conscientious objection, and religion. International Pen is
currently monitoring around 70 such trials. For more on this story visit:
http://tinyurl.com/csfj5o
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FEATURE: Music To Write By
=======================================================
By Indra Sena.
If you are struggling with writer's block, looking for inspiration
while crafting, or having trouble getting started when you sit down to write,
music just might be the perfect muse.
Music can relax or invigorate
you. The lyrics often refer to timeless themes, much the way writing does.
Instruments can also express a wide variety of emotional nuance. Anger, sorrow,
joy and despair are all common emotions music seeks to express. You can use
music to bring you into these states of feeling and infuse your writing with
rich emotion.
I like to listen to music the entire time I'm writing.
However, even if you prefer to write in silence, music can give you the
jump-start you need to begin moving your pen.
Here are some ways to
use music as part of your writing practice:
1. Anchor Yourself to a
Starting Song
----------------------------
Anchoring is reminiscent of
Pavlov's famous experiments with dogs. Pavlov sounded a bell as he fed the
dogs. The animals salivated when they saw the food. After some pairings of the
bell and the food, the bell alone elicited salivation. Also known as Classical
Conditioning, it is a form of associative learning, which is based on the
belief that experiences reinforce one another and can be linked to enhance an
activity or process.
I chose 'The Flower Duet' from the opera 'Lakami'
as my Starting Song. As soon as it starts to play I feel compelled to write, a
response I created by playing the duet every single time I sat down to write.
You can choose any song that makes you feel energized, inspired or
excited. Consider Aerosmith's 'Back In The Saddle Again', or Bette Midler's
'Wind Beneath My Wings'. If you prefer not to hear lyrics, try Claude Debussy's
haunting 'Pour l'égyptienne' or Chopin's exquisite 'Nocturne No.9.'
Once you've chosen your Starting Song, always keep it nearby. Have it in
your Itunes or Media Player, or have the CD sitting on top of your keyboard.
Every time you sit down to write, play the Starting Song with the plan that you
will write for the duration of the entire song. Even if you decide you will
only write for those few minutes, the old science law holds true: A body in
motion tends to remain in motion. Trick yourself into writing past your blocks
with the thought that you're only going to write while your Starting Song is
playing. You will often find that once you begin writing, your hand will
continue almost on its own.
If you play your Starting Song every time
you sit down to write, your writing practice will become anchored to the song.
Just hearing the song will make you feel the urge to grab your keyboard and
start typing.
2. Play Songs That Reflect the Period You Are Writing
About
---------------------------------------------------
If your novel
is takes place entirely in the year 1930, buy a couple of CDs with music made
that year. With sites like Wikipedia, it is a cinch to learn which songs were
played in a given year. A period novel taking place in America in 1850 will
have you playing Stephen Foster's 'Gwine to Run All Night'. Chronicling the
1980s disco scene should fill your writing studio with Madonna.
Playing these songs will connect you directly to your characters--this is
what they would have been listening to. It will also let you feel the ambiance
of that period in history.
3. Play Music That Puts You In The Mood
-------------------------------
When writing an action scene, play
fast, driven music. Let Heart's album 'Dreamboat Annie', The Smashing Pumpkins'
'Gish', Guiseppe Verdi's 'Stiffelio' or Rachmaninoff's 'Piano Concerto No. 3'
rev you up with energy.
While writing tragic or heart-wrenching
scenes, have music like Schubert's 'Litany', Janice Ian's 'Seventeen', or Joni
Mitchell's album 'Blue' playing on repeat.
Compile your favorite love
songs to play when writing passionate scenes. Songs like Elvis's 'I Can't Help
Falling in Love With You', Billie Holiday's 'I'm a Fool to Want You', George
and Ira Gershwin's 'Someone to Watch Over Me', or Linda Ronstadt's rendition of
'I Love You For Sentimental Reasons' will have you--and your
characters--swooning with desire.
If your book is Science Fiction, you
can play New Age or Space music. A spiritual theme might call for Gregorian
Chants or southern gospel songs.
Whether your characters are fighting,
falling in love, going to a funeral, or on a crime spree you can easily find
songs that croon about those life experiences.
4. Use Music That
Increases Brain Functioning.
-------------------------------------
I
often listen to Mozart or Vivaldi for background music. Played on a low volume
and lacking lyrics, you might hardly notice it is on. However, studies have
shown that both Baroque music and music by Mozart increase the functioning of
our brains.
The term baroque applies to music composed during the 17th
and 18th centuries by composers such as Vivaldi, Telemann, Bach and Handel.
Baroque music is believed to optimize brain function by producing a state of
calm, relaxed alertness. Lab studies have shown that it increases alpha and
theta waves in the brain. Alpha waves indicate a slower, more relaxed mind.
Theta waves represent both creative and meditative states in the brain.
Keeping Mozart in Mind, a book by Dr. Gordon Shaw, discusses music as a
window into higher brain function. World-renowned for his "music and the brain
studies," he demonstrates how music changes the way we think, reason, and
create.
Listening to music creates new neural pathways in your brain
that stimulate creativity. Research from the University of California showed
that music actually trains the brain for higher forms of thinking.
5.
If You Prefer Silence While Writing
------------------------------
Simply use your Starting Song to get your pen moving, and then continue
writing without any music playing. Try music without lyrics, so you won't be
distracted by the words. If you are accustomed to writing in silence, you can
experiment with playing music to measure how if effects your productivity. You
might be surprised to find music a writing enhancer, rather than a distraction.
Pick your favorite songs and use them to aid your writing practice.
You will be surprised how quickly your brain learns to take cues from music.
The key is consistency, that age old practice of successful writers.
>>--------------------------------------------------<<
Copyright (c) 2009 by Indra Sena
Indra Sena is a writer living in
the Catskill Mountains. After twenty-two years as a consultant, she left the
business world a year ago to write fulltime. She is currently completing her
first book, a memoir about her life as a young teenager living on her own. You
can contact her at indrasena66 at gmail.com
For more ideas on sparking
your creativity visit:
http://www.writing-world.com/creative/box.shtml
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WORLDWIDE FREELANCE WRITER - You can download a free list of writing
markets if you subscribe this week. Discover almost 2,000 writing markets from
USA, Canada, UK, Europe, Australasia.
http://www.worldwidefreelance.com
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THE WRITE SITES
=======================================================
Poets and Writers
--------
This is a huge site aimed mainly at
poets, but with information that is useful to all writers with thought
provoking interviews with poets and writers as well as job listings, contest
information and information on grants.
http://www.pw.org/magazine
Writing Web Content
-----------
This is a very handy site indeed
with just about everything you need to know to start writing web content. There
are a huge number of articles on how to write for the web, including writing
web page copy and they are all written by experts in the field. If you want to
move into web copywriting, then this is the site for you.
http://websitetips.com/webcontent/
Explore Writing
-----------------
This is another one of those
sites that I can't believe I've never come across before - it is amazing! This
site has a wide variety of articles on almost every aspect of the writing life.
Granted, it doesn't have as many articles as we do, but there is lots of
information there to get your teeth stuck into.
http://www.explorewriting.co.uk/
*********************************************************
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AUTHOR'S BOOKSHELF: Books by Our Readers
============================================================
The
Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, by Ruth Mossing
Omnibus, by Sheri
McGathy
Phone Call to SINATRA, by John Costello Find these and more
great books at
http://www.writing-world.com/books/index.shtml
Have you just had a book published? If so, let our readers know: just
click on the link below to list your book.
http://www.writing-world.com/books/listyours.shtml
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Writing World is a publication of Writing-World.com
http://www.writing-world.com
Editor and Publisher: MOIRA ALLEN (
editors@writing-world.com)
Newsletter Editor: DAWN COPEMAN (
editorial@writing-world.com)
Copyright 2009 Moira Allen Individual articles copyrighted by their
authors. Back issues archived at
http://www.writing-world.com/newsletter/index.shtml
Writing World is hosted by Aweber.com
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